Hiring at companies around the country is expected to reach a four-year high for August, according to a survey released this morning.

The increase is expected in both the manufacturing and service sectors, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, which compiled the report.

Slightly more than 50 percent of manufacturers and 35 percent of service-sector companies said they expect to increase their staffs.

August will mark the third consecutive month that hiring has reached a four-year high for both sectors in the survey, according to SHRM.

“The continued increases in hiring are also boosting recruiting difficulty,” Jennifer Schramm, manager of workforce trends at SHRM, said in a statement. “As more employers compete to fill their key jobs, difficulty finding candidates with the right skills and experience is rising.”

In July, more employers also raised pay for new hires compared with a year ago, according to the report. A net total of 8.8 percent of manufacturing sector respondents reported increasing new-hire compensation in July, an increase of 2.7 points compared to July 2013. For the service sector, 12.3 percent of companies reported increasing new-hire compensation, up four points from a year ago.

“We may finally be seeing recruiting difficulty impacting wages, which have remained relatively stagnant well into the recovery,” Schramm said. “More HR professionals in both sectors are reporting that they had to increase new-hire compensation compared with the same time a year ago.”

Related links:

Industries:

Comments

If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.